a blog about everything related to youth raising French angora rabbits

Black Diamond Kits

Sage's Kits, Nine Weeks Old

Thursday, March 31, 2016

Felted Soap

So I first heard of felted soap just two months ago from a buyer.
The young friend she was getting the rabbit for was anxious to have some
angora fiber for felting soap. And that was all I heard.

Curious,
I decided to go to that impeccable source of all knowledge (well, not
really, but you get the idea), the Internet. And I found a few facts,
claims, and images of beautiful felted soap. And the how-to's as well.

What
exactly is felted soap? Well, felted soap is promoted as a washcloth
and soap all in one. Basically a few layers of animal fiber are wrapped
around a bar of soap and felted with hot water and agitation. Most
people use wool; I used alpaca and angora.

One or two
of the webpages I looked at claimed that soap was felted in centuries
past. I did some digging but couldn't locate any actual proof of that.
If anyone can point me towards anything regarding that, I'd really
appreciate it.

Anyway, I decided to try it out. I
have to admit, it did sound a little odd, wrapping a bar of soap in
fiber and then showering with it.

Here is what I discovered:

The
claims were that felted soap lasted longer than unfelted. The
reality? It's all completely TRUE! I felted a bar of regular Ivory
soap with some alpaca and angora over six weeks ago. I think half the
bar is still there. And yes, as a matter of fact, I do shower everyday.

The
claim is that the felted soap dries out faster after each use and
prevents the glycerin from dissolving as quickly. Not sure about either
of those. I never remember to go back to the shower and check how
quickly the felted soap dried out. And I never did it with regular
soap, either. I mean, I have other things to do besides check how quickly the soap is drying. I just know that the felted bar of soap is lasting a
really long time. (UPDATE: My felted bar of regular Ivory soap lasted just over three months.)

There is the claim that felting the
soap makes it easier to handle and hold onto. Also completely true. I
think I have dropped my soap three times in the past six weeks.

And
a final claim is that the animal fibers used to felt the soap are
anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, whatever. I'm not sure
whether any of this is true, but I can definitely say that unlike with
washcloths after a couple of days of use, there is absolutely no yucky
smell with felted soap. Just the smell of the soap.

So felted soap really is a washcloth and soap all in one. And yet, it is much, much better. I will never look back.

One of my first felted bars. The gray fiber is angora; the rest is alpaca.

If you can't wait until I get our own directions posted, here are two websites to check out.

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If you are interested in a rabbit or if you have questions, drop us a line at blackdiamondbunnies@gmail.com.

Please, please, please email us with questions, or post them on the blog. We really want to be sure our rabbits are going to good homes with responsible owners ready to care for them. While all of our customers thus far have been very nice people who we have every confidence are providing the best of care for their rabbits, we have had some concerns with individuals who have expressed interest in our rabbits. If we are not completely comfortable with an individual, we will not sell you a rabbit. That's just the way it is. One excellent way for us to become comfortable with you and with your level of preparation is for you to ask questions. What we really do not want to see is someone who emails and says, "I'm ready for my rabbit now. When can I come by?"

If you wish to speak with us in person, we'll be happy to give you a call, or provide our phone number through an email. We're sorry, but because this is the Internet, and because we have young women involved, we can't post our phone number or physical address online. We live about 20 minutes north of the 395/Interstate 80 junction in Reno.

1970's Soviet Propaganda Poster, Rabbit Style

This photo graced the top of the blog for several months. Why do I call it a Soviet propaganda poster? Because it looks just like one. (I got my degree in Russian in 1987. I got to see a whole lot of Soviet propaganda posters in the course of my studies.) Anyway, it's classic Soviet propaganda. There is almost always a lighter individual, centered and higher than the darker individuals who are flanking and lower. The lighter individual looks up and to the side, into the light. The sun's rays smile down, indicating a bright future. We could never have gotten this pose in a million years if we'd been trying.